Finding my people through Rotary Youth Leadership Awards

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By Ashlyn Anderson, Rotaract Club of London

Ashlyn Anderson

My story with Rotary began when I was a girl. One of my earliest memories is of a Rotary Youth Exchange student from Mexico teaching me the Spanish phrase “te quiero mucho” (I love you). I was eight years old in Franklin, Tennessee, USA. Gaby, who stayed with us for two years, was more than my first taste of Rotary Youth Exchange; she was my older sister and remains a part of our family, having planted seeds for me to continue learning Spanish and deepening my understanding of people and places.

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Purple walk raises awareness for epilepsy treatment

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By Surhuda Kulkarni, Rotary Club of Pune Baner, India

Club members take part in a walk to raise awareness for epilepsy.

I remember the day clearly. It was 1 July 2021. The world was unshackling itself from the clutches of the pandemic. Everything was slowly starting to move back to in-person. My club arranged a meeting between the doctors of the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital and its epilepsy patients. More than 40 anxious parents of epilepsy patients attended the screening and free consultation camp.

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Mother-daughter duo: Rotary Youth Exchange is experience of a lifetime

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Emanuelle and Sabrina Barreto

By Emanuelle Barreto, Rotary Youth Exchange committee chair of District 4500 (Brazil), and Sabrina Barreto, a Rotary Youth Exchange officer, both alumna of long- and short-term Rotary Youth Exchanges

I have been hosting Rotary Youth Exchange students since my daughter, Sabrina, was a year old. She was my first child in a big family. I have three sisters; she was the first niece and first granddaughter. I knew everyone would spoil her.

I wanted her to have sisters and brothers and learn how to share. I wanted her to grow up in an open environment with an open mind, knowing her limits reached beyond our city or our country to the world. Hosting exchange students allowed me to provide all this for her. And from the beginning, she was very excited about it.

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Getting more out of Rotary Youth Leadership Awards

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Richard Linden (middle) director of curriculum for Missouri RYLA Academy, and other leaders of the Nex Gen training event for RYLA directors.

By Richard Linden, director of curriculum for Missouri RYLA Academy

Missouri RYLA Academy has a saying, “Right person. Right place. Right time.” This was never more evidenced than in August of 2023 when a group of RYLA directors from around the United States, Canada, and Taiwan met to discuss all things “RYLA” and elevate programming to meet the next generation of RYLA leaders. 

RYLA directors met for three days of training, networking, and high-energy fun. As usual with RYLA, friendships were created that will undoubtedly last lifetimes. But it wasn’t all fun and games.

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Young brigade takes charge

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A Rotaract member in Pune watches polio drops being administered to a young child during a national immunization day.

By Jigneshh Karria, president, Rotary Club of Pune Baner, India

Seeing a twinkle in the eye of a baby you have helped gives you a happy feeling. When you see someone with a disability run or dance, you get inspired. My conviction in community service was strengthened when I realized how Rotary enables us to touch lives in a million different ways. During my presidency, I vowed to participate in as many Rotary signature projects as possible. One of those involved Rotary’s top priority, the eradication of polio. Rotary members are a huge reason India is polio-free.

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